JBS closes Green Bay plant due to outbreak

JBS USA is temporarily closing its Green Bay beef production facility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Brown County Health Department linked 189 cases to the plant, which includes employees and people those employees had contact with out of work. During a tour last week, health department officials said JBS was following recommended safety guidelines.

“Given the continued spread of coronavirus in our community and among our workforce, we have decided to voluntarily close our Green Bay facility in an effort to help flatten the curve of infections in Brown County,” Shannon Grassl, president of the JBS USA Regional Beef, said in a statement. “We’ve been focused on doing everything we can to keep the virus out of our facility, but we believe a temporary closure is the most aggressive action we can take to help our community collectively slow the spread of COVID-19.”

The Green Bay plant is the fourth JBS location in the nation to temporarily close after workers tested positive for the virus.